4/5 ★ – bryansbane's review of Horizon Zero Dawn.

Have you ever played a game or watched a movie you really appreciated…maybe even enjoyed, but when you walk away from it you feel nothing? No fandom develops, no attachment, just a cold separation from something that was not only harmless, but actually quite good? That is my experience with Horizion: Zero Dawn. A graphically stunning futuristic setting where humanity is in a tribal state despite their being technology all around them, including robot animals is a very interesting premise. It’s made even sweeter by the fact that by the time you finish all of your questions will be answered. The narrative payoffs are very satisfying. This was written by the guy behind Fallout: New Vegas after all. Third person shooting is tight and enjoyable, the music is great and there are fun moments of dialogs between many characters Aloy will meet along the way. Aloy herself is also easy to love. She’s kind, cute and curious, but also strong and uncompromising. The thing is that for some reason when it’s all said and done I don’t care about any of it. I don’t enjoy fighting robot dinosaurs, I don’t miss the world or the characters and I have no desire to return. I’m not sure if it’s one element or several coming together, but the Horizon series just does something crucial to desensitize my interest. I have mostly nothing, but good things to say about the series and would have no problem recommending it to others, but I’m simply not a fan. I hope they finish the trilogy and let this series rest for a while. I never even finished Guerrilla’s prior series Killzone, but I still liked it better.